Taiwan Airport Opens World’s First In-Transit E-Library

Nobody likes layovers, especially long and boring ones. But if you happen to have a stopover at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, you at least can rent an e-book to keep you company.

The library, which opened last week, features about 30 iPads and other devices that each offer 400 titles, as well as 2,000 physical Chinese and English language books.

While the project is certainly a great idea, it has a long way to go. For starters, 30 e-readers isn’t nearly enough to be loaned out on a first-come first-served basis in an airport that handles up to 17 million passengers a year. Furthermore, people can’t download the books to their own devices, meaning that unless you’ve got a really long layover, you won’t be finishing that novel you started in the waiting room.